About Kimberly Haas

Kimberly Haas joined WHYY in 2011, first producing feature stories and then becoming a producer for NewsWorks Tonight. She’s the force behind the show’s series “Recap” and “Story Corner.” Currently, she's drawn to stories on sustainability, urbanism, music and old craft revivals.

Prior to WHYY, Kimberly produced music programs, creating the Public Radio International program Echoes and the documentary series Totally Wired. She earned a bachelors degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and was an M.F.A. candidate in Temple’s radio-television-film program.

When she’s not making radio, Kimberly works for Haverford College, coordinating the Friends Association for Higher Education, a consortium of Quaker colleges. In her spare time, she’s a sacred harp singer, cheesemaker and home canner, and practices pilates and yoga. Kimberly lives in Northern Liberties with her daughter and two pit bull terriers.

Pennsylvania's Chester County has a deep history of small family farms, and it's also a significant player in the mushroom industry in the United States. One mom-and-pop farm in Spring City is drawing on both of these histories.

"It's definitely a very different type of growing," explains Heather Fetter, who, with husband Norm, started the Woodland Jewel Mushroom farm two years ago.

"We do tell people we're farmers, but when I think of that, I think of bucolic landscapes and earthworms and dirt. A lot of mycology science is very sterile and exacting, and there's a lot of laboratory work that goes along with it."

So, rather than strolling through pastures, The Pulse goes down into the basement — a very spotless and sterile basement — to take a tour of Woodland Jewel Mushrooms.

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